How does water affect where people settle in geography?
Settlement. Water affects where people settle in that people tend to settle near bodies of water. People settle near water, because they use it as transportation, agriculture, and to sustain themselves and their communitites.
How did the geography of Europe affect the Middle Ages?
For most of the remaining part of the continent, it is temperate warm. The geography of Europe had a powerful impact on the lives of the people who lived there during the Middle Ages. It determined how people migrated—in what direction they relocated and settled.
How does the geography of Europe affect its climate?
In the northern part of the continent, it is temperate cool. For most of the remaining part of the continent, it is temperate warm. The geography of Europe had a powerful impact on the lives of the people who lived there during the Middle Ages. It determined how people migrated—in what direction they relocated and settled.
Why did people settle near bodies of water in colonial America?
They settled near bodies of water to help them maintain their crops, and to transport them around when they were ready to trade. When the colonists used the land for agriculture, the extensive use caused soil erosion. Soil erosion generally has a bigger affect on smaller bodies of water such as rivers and lakes.
How have rivers affected life in Europe?
Rivers are the lifeblood of Europe. They provide us with water, food, transport, and power, supporting the economies of rural communities and major cities across the continent. They also provide us with many of our fondest memories as well as wonderful spots to fish, birdwatch, swim and sunbathe.
How has Europe's water access benefited the continent?
How has Europe's water access benefited the continent? It benefitted the continent because it helped trading goods with other countries. Why do you think villages in Europe developed near bays? They developed near bays because it is a good place for harbors and trade.
How did the rivers in western Europe affect its economic development?
Western Europe has many rivers and small waterways. Rivers determined the location of important cities, such as London, Paris, and Hamburg. Rivers and canals provide transportation routes for goods and people. Rivers provide water for farming and produce electrical power.
What are some of the impacts the physical geography of Europe has had on the development of Europe?
Europe's moderate climates and favorable relative location are supported by its access to the many rivers and seas. These advantageous developmental factors supported the development of the Industrial Revolution in Europe, which gave rise to highly technical and urban societies.
Why is European water important?
All economic sectors use water — albeit in different ways and amounts ([1]). Access to sufficient freshwater is essential for many key economic sectors and communities dependent on those activities.
Why were rivers important to the people of Europe?
As sources of water and means of transportation, Europe's rivers have been crucial for many human settlements. Industries have developed by rivers for the easy shipping of manufactured products and the importing of goods and materials.
What role did the waterways of Europe play in the development of its economy?
Access to seas/oceans made trade easier, abundant resources like coal and iron ore helped fuel industry. Also, having rich fertile soil to grow plenty of food helped as well.
For what activities are Europe's waterways used?
Europe's waterways provide a source of transportation, trade, recreational activities, and water power.
What role did rivers play in Eastern Europe?
What role did rivers play in Eastern Europe? The main rivers of Eastern Europe, the Danube and Vistula, stretched all the way across the land, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, encouraging the flow of goods and cultural trade.
How did geography affect Europe as a whole?
People and goods can sail easily from inland areas to the open sea and, from there, to other parts of the world. Europe's seas and rivers provided protection as well as possibilities for trade. The English Channel, for example, separated the islands of Britain and Ireland from the rest of Europe.
What is the most important commercial waterway in Europe?
The Danube River serves as one of the most significant commercial waterways on the European continent and acts as an important source of drinking water, hydroelectric power generation, irrigation, fishing, and navigation, for the 10 countries that share its waters.
What are the major factors influencing Europe's weather and climate?
The local and regional effects of climate on the weathering, erosion, and transport of rocks clearly contribute much to the European landscape, and the length and warmth of the growing season, the amount and seasonal range of rainfall, and the incidence of frost affect the distribution of vegetation.
How is water used as a natural resource in Western Europe?
The three main users of water are agriculture, industry and the domestic sector, e.g. households.
Where is Europe's contribution to water body pollution most severe?
Central European countries, such as Germany, the Czech Republic and Hungary, were some of the worst performing in the region, with more than 90 per cent of water bodies failing to meet standards. On the other hand, Scandinavian nations like Sweden and Finland were among the top performers.
What are some of Europe's most important natural resources?
These include wood, soil, water, fish, natural gas, coal, and iron. The resource of fish and water can be found in the Mediterranean Sea. Water is an abundant resource in Europe because there are so many bodies of water in/near Europe.
Which country has the most water in Europe?
Highlights. Among the EU countries, Croatia recorded the highest freshwater resources (with a long-term average of 28 800 m³ per inhabitant) followed by Finland (20 000 m³) and Sweden (19 300 m³).
What is the solution to the environmental problems of Europe's coasts and seas?
Solving the environmental problems of Europe's coasts and seas requires a policy response that spans water, nature, pollution, fisheries, climate change and spatial planning . Historically these have been considered separate policy areas. However, the adoption of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) in 2008 introduced an integrated management approach. The MSFD considers the entire ecosystem and sets out to achieve good environmental status for many specific aspects of the environment.
What are the threats to European coastal areas?
The main threats to European coastal areas are water pollution and eutrophication (or nutrient enrichment), loss of biological diversity, urban development, landscape deterioration and coastal erosion.
How has the ecosystem of Europe changed?
The ecosystems of Europe's coastal areas and seas have been significantly altered by centuries of human exploitation. Recent evidence shows that human-induced change in marine ecosystems has greatly increased in the past 60 years.
How are aquatic invasive species spread?
Invasive species, mostly brought in through shipping and the Suez Canal in the Mediterranean Sea, are spread through shipping and aquaculture. They can have devastating consequences for ecosystems and society. The annual economic loss due to aquatic invasive species is estimated to exceed EUR 81 billion globally.
What are the threats to the sea?
The following are major threats to sea habitats: pressures from fishing, pollution from land and sea sources, dense coastal urban development and tourism, damage to the sea floor by oil platforms,
How long is the coastline of the EU?
The EU coastline is 68 000 km long — more than three times longer than that of the United States and almost twice that of Russia. If the EEA member countries Iceland, Norway and Turkey are included, the coastline reaches to 185 000 km long.
What is the most popular holiday destination in Europe?
The seaside is Europe's most popular holiday destination. Employing over 3.2 million people, this sector generates EUR 183 billion in gross value added and represents over one third of the maritime economy. As much as 51 % of bed capacity in hotels across Europe is concentrated in coastal regions (European Commission, Coastal and Maritime Tourism).
Why did the colonists settle near the oceans?
The colonist settled near the oceans, because they were dependent on them to transport their goods to other harbors.
What happens when more people settle in?
As more people settle in quicker, the resources are consumed. There are more pollutants and wastes were different. They were usually wastes that came from the soils, or wastes from the people. Today there are more pollutants that go into the water. There are buildings, cars, and many other things that release fumes. Now there are not only "natural" wastes, but now there are chemical wastes.
How does water affect people?
Water affects where people settle in that people tend to settle near bodies of water. People settle near water, because they use it as transportation, agriculture, and to sustain themselves and their communitites.
Why did the Chesapeake colonies settle near bodies of water?
They settled near bodies of water to help them maintain their crops, and to transport them around when they were ready to trade.
What was the effect of the colonists' use of land for agriculture?
When the colonists used the land for agriculture, the extensive use caused soil erosion. Soil erosion generally has a bigger affect on smaller bodies of water such as rivers and lakes. The water becomes polluted and no longer useable.
Why are the Maldives so disadvantaged?
They rely on fishing, boat building and repair, and fish products. Water affects where they settle, because they needed access to water to help them economically and to improve their ways of living.
Why did the coastline change?
The coastline began to change, however, in response to natural proc- esses as well as human activities. The ancient Greeks and Romans were very capable engineers and built ports and harbors, along with their monumental architecture. Today many of these early ports are filled with sediment and are several miles inland from the present shoreline as a result of a thousand or more years of sedimentation. There was also the progressive awareness that living at the edge of the ocean presented significant hazards. Tsunamis have taken large death tolls historically, in Japan, in the Indonesia archipelago, and even on the Mediterranean coastlines. Cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons have also taken their toll over the years throughout South Asia. Despite these risks, people have continued to be drawn to coastal areas. Cities have grown along with exposure to natural hazards and the impacts of the expanding populations on coastal environments and natural systems.
Why did people come to the coast?
People came to the coast initially for short stays and then more recently for retirement, with progressively greater impacts. human impacts on coastal environments. Each of the chapters that follow focuses on a specific issue relative to greater human occupancy and use of coastal regions.
How long has sea level stabilized?
Within about a thousand years of sea-level stabilization, however, a transition seems to have taken place, with people beginning to migrate to coastal areas, where communities began to develop with significant increases in population, as well as burials that show the existence of social classes.
What triggered the transition from hunter-gatherer to farmer?
There are many ideas and hypotheses as to what triggered or led to the transition from our hunter-gatherer ancestors to farmers, among them the climate changes that took place when the last ice age ended and the modern Holocene epoch began (usually dated at about 11,700 years chapter 1
How did the Earth change during the Ice Age?
This was a huge step forward for humanity. Another argument has been proposed for a connection between the early development of agriculture and the stabilization of sea-level rise. As the last ice age came to a close about 18,000 years ago, glaciers and ice sheets gradually began to melt and seawater warmed, increasing the volume of the ocean and thereby raising sea level. There was a period of fairly rapid warming and associated sea-level rise between about 18,000 and 7,000 years ago (figure 1.1). During this period, sea level rose on average nearly half an inch per year or about 45 inches per century. Within this approximately 11,000-year period of warming, there were also what are believed to have been meltwater pulses when glaciers retreated very rapidly, causing sea level to rise even faster. During these intervals, the oceans were rising at nearly an inch a year or over six feet per century. In low-relief and low-lying deltas or coastal plains, a few feet of sea-level rise could move the shoreline landward thousands of feet or more, so these areas would not have supported permanent agri- culture or settlements.
What were the benefits of the deltas and alluvial plains?
The deltas and alluvial plains adja- cent to coastlines provided flat, fertile land and water that made agricul- tural production possible, the mild climate made life easier and more comfortable, and the coastal waters provided access to the sea. Over time, trade and commerce would develop.
What was the attraction of the Mediterranean coast?
The attraction of the coast as a vacation or holiday destination exploded after World War II for a number of reasons but built on what had begun fifty or more years earlier. Widespread automobile ownership brought access to the coastline within the reach of most people, regardless of income. Campgrounds and caravan parks replaced farmland and graz- ing land. Vacation resorts multiplied, hotels expanded, and new attrac- tions, such as marinas and golf courses for those who could afford them, were added to draw even more people. Many former sleepy fish- ing villages along the Mediterranean coast of Spain, France, and Italy, if they had beaches, became summer resorts for the sun-craving people of northern Europe. High-rise condominiums and apartments were constructed by the thousands to accommodate these seasonal visitors, which took their toll on the social and cultural fabric of these former towns but also provided new types of employment and increased eco- nomic activity. Oceanfront promenades and boardwalks often replaced hauled-out fishing boats and drying nets. All of this changed the character of coastal towns, although the sun and warm ocean waters continued to draw people: the Costa Brava, Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Costa Verde, Costa de la Luz, to name a few in Spain (figure 1.3). Florida is a lot like Spain’s Mediterranean coast, drawing people from New York and New Jersey first to vacation and then, often, to relocate permanently. The beaches in Florida have
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Interesting Facts
- The area of sea under the control (jurisdiction) of EU Member States is larger than the total land area of the EU. Including its outlying regions (territories and entities in the Atlantic, Pacific...
- The EU coastline is 68 000 km long — more than three times longer than that of the United States and almost twice that of Russia. If the EEA member countries Iceland, Norway and Tur…
- The area of sea under the control (jurisdiction) of EU Member States is larger than the total land area of the EU. Including its outlying regions (territories and entities in the Atlantic, Pacific...
- The EU coastline is 68 000 km long — more than three times longer than that of the United States and almost twice that of Russia. If the EEA member countries Iceland, Norway and Turkey are included...
- In the 24 EEA coastal countries, there are 560 000 km2of coastal zones, corresponding to 13 % of the total land mass of these countries (based on Corine Land Cover data from 2000).
- Almost half of the EU population lives less than 50 km from the sea; the majority is concentrated in urban areas along the coast. In 2011, 206 million people, or 41 % of the EU p…
Environmental Challenges
- Degradation of marine and coastal ecosystems can be seen in the Baltic, Black and Mediterranean Seas and the North-East Atlantic and, more particularly, Arctic Oceans. Effects on the environment are a consequence of meeting our immediate human needs. However, they impact species and habitats that have evolved over thousands, if not millions, of years — someti…
European Policies
- Solving the environmental problems of Europe's coasts and seas requires a policy response that spans water, nature, pollution, fisheries, climate change and spatial planning. Historically these have been considered separate policy areas. However, the adoption of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD)in 2008 introduced an integrated management approach. The MSF…
Related Links
- The MSFD requires good environmental status to be achieved by 2020 for many aspects of the marine environment, including fish. It is expected to reduce pollution and its impact in the marine enviro...
- ICZMrecommends developing strategies to achieve sustainable coastal development.
- MSPis a tool that supports strategies for sustainable use of the sea by bringing together mult…
- The MSFD requires good environmental status to be achieved by 2020 for many aspects of the marine environment, including fish. It is expected to reduce pollution and its impact in the marine enviro...
- ICZMrecommends developing strategies to achieve sustainable coastal development.
- MSPis a tool that supports strategies for sustainable use of the sea by bringing together multiple users of the sea.
- The WFDrequired good ecological status or good ecological potential to be achieved by 2015 in estuaries and coasts across the EU.